What is a Quinella & What is an Exacta? Bet Types Explained

What is a Quinella?

A quinella in horse racing pays on the first two horses to cross the finish line in any order. So, if you’ve narrowed the chances in a particular race down to just two runners, then taking a quinella might be your best bet.

For example, in the 2017 Caulfield Cup, Boom Time snuck up the rails to claim victory over crowd favourite, Single Gaze.

Boom Time paid out a very healthy $51 for the win, while Single Gaze paid $31 for the win at the race jump.

The quinella on this occasion, for the horses to finish first and second in any order, paid out a dividend around the $585 mark on the Vic Tote and any betting sites that offer the best Tote payouts.

What is an Exacta?

An exacta is similar to a quinella in that it involves the first two horses, but with the Exacta, you must pick the first two horses in the exact finishing order.

You might choose the Exacta over a Quinella if you think one horse has a clear advantage over your second pick.

If we look at the 2017 Caulfield Cup again as an example, to win the exacta, you would’ve had to pick Boom Time to win and Single Gaze to come second. If you were lucky (or skilled) enough to do this, you have received a nice dividend of around the $940 mark on the Vic Tote with any leading betting app.

As you can tell from the above examples, picking the Exacta will be a lot tougher than picking a Quinella, but if you get it right, it can substantially increase your winnings with the bookmakers.

What is a “Boxed” Quinella or “Boxed” Exacta?

You can increase your odds of success by choosing multiple runners or, as it’s more commonly referred to, “boxing” your selections.

For instance, you may like to “box” three or four runners that you fancy in a quinella or exacta, which will give you a chance of winning all possible combinations.

For example, in the 2017 Caulfield Cup, you probably would’ve wanted to include the $5 favourite, Johannes Vermeer, in your “boxed” selections.

Johannes Vermeer ended up finishing in third place, and if he had finished first or second, his $5 odds would’ve seen quinella and exacta dividends significantly reduced.

Editor In Chief

Daryl Curnow

After graduating from the University of Auckland (BA - English), Daryl was thrown into the world of sports and horse racing journalism.

Having worked as a racing journalist for two years, he decided to move into the online world of horse racing and sports writing. After years of honing his craft, Daryl became a professional punter in 2009 - with a focus on horse racing, NRL, AFL, NBA, Rugby, NFL, and US college sports.

Daryl's tips have been featured on various websites around the world before joining the GoBet team. When he's not working, Daryl tries to avoid making bogeys on the golf course.